Working Through the Pain
by Sellybelly411
Summary: She was the Architect of the Good Place. The one who built this blissful neighborhood for all of the afterlife residents. On the outside, she is sassy, chatty, and kind and loyal to her friends. But he can't help but notice the little things. Like, how she refuses to meet his eyes and how she sneaks glances at him. Yes, this Eleanor, he is determined to figure her out.
1. Part One

Part One

There was something very, very wrong with Chidi Anagonye. First, he had woken up in what appeared to be a waiting room that he had never seen before and somehow, he hadn't an ounce of anxiety in his body.

 _Welcome! Everything is fine._

He smiled at the words, which he somehow believed. Everything was, indeed, fine. He was safe at… wherever he was.

"Chidi?" A feminine voice said from the room ahead, "I'm Eleanor. Come on in."

He got up, nodding his thanks to her as she held the door open for him. The Professor couldn't help but be relieved when he saw that there was only one chair in front of the desk. He didn't have to make a choice.

Thank goodness.

The young woman, Eleanor, took a seat in her own office chair, glancing down at two pieces of paper that she didn't seem all that interested in.

"Alright, here's the deal, man." The blonde said, "You, Chidi Anagonye, are dead."

"Wait... _what?"_ The Professor reacted, earning a laugh from the girl.

"Yeah, it is a bit confusing for the newbs here. No big, man. You're dead, I'm not human, which mean I basically know everything about you."

"Um…?"

"Yep. Just realized how creepy that sounded, sorry 'bout that man. So, basically, you were already a pretty cool guy but your work as a Philosophy Professor in Australia really put ya over the top. Congrats man, you made it into the Good Place." She congratulated, not looking up at him once through the whole conversation.

"Wow. This is amazing." He said happily, earning a laugh again from the girl. She was flipping through some papers on her desk before she seemed to realize something, "Janet?"

There was a light-sounding bing, and suddenly a woman with curly brown locks and a cheery expression on her face appeared out of thin air.

"Hi there!" The brunette greeted, "How can I help you?"

"Can you show…" Eleanor cleared her throat and gestured to the man in front of her, "C-Can you show our newest resident around? C-Chidi Anagonye…?"

A look of understanding appeared on her face, "Yes, of course."

"I-I'm sorry, who is this?" Chidi asked, looking from the blonde to the brunette.

"I'm Janet, the informational delivery system here in the Good Place. Now, shall I show you around?"

He nodded and followed the brunette out the office door and into the afterlife.

When the two were gone, Eleanor leaned her head on the surface of the desk and burst into tears.

Even though she knew she wasn't in the Bad Place anymore, somehow, she felt just as tortured.

"... Eleanor."

The blonde held up her hand at her "assistant" Michael, who was the _actual_ architect of the neighborhood.

"Don't." The woman ordered, wiping tears from her eyes as she headed home. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to her house. The house that she and Chidi were supposed to share.

She was supposed to be getting ready to greet the last two people, but the blonde couldn't help but need a break.

Walking inside, the woman crashed onto her bed, closing the door behind her. She stared up at the clown mural on the closed doors, feeling as if they were mocking her.

Hugging a pillow close to her chest, she cried herself to sleep.

Though, a rapid knocking on her front door awoke her two hours later. Groggy and still a little...okay, a lot sad, she answered the door.

Instantly, Michael and Janet entered the room.

"Eleanor, what are you doing?" The brunette shouted, staring at the blonde's unkempt state, "You should be getting ready to welcome the next person! They'll be arriving in less than an hour."

Her eyes widened in shock, "Oh, fork." The blonde looked down at herself in horror, "Fork! I look like trash. Which, granted, isn't anything new, but still!"

She sighed and sank down onto a nearby chair, "Guys, I don't think I can do this." She confessed, "Micheal, can't you take over? I... there is just so much shirt to do and I just… I can't _do_ this anymore guys!"

The demon frowned and stood closest to her, "Eleanor, listen. I may be an emotional mess now, but you must understand that I have full confidence in you. Even with the little information we had about these people, you have managed to set them up perfectly. You can _do_ this, Eleanor."

"Thanks, Mikey." She smiled.

"Not that you'd have a choice, of course. We're in too deep and there's no going back right now. If you fork this up then I'll be retired, Janet'll be marbleized, and you and your friends will be tortured for eternity."

Eleanor stared at him, frozen by what he just said. So, basically if she forked this up then every single one of her friends would be doomed.

That's reassuring.

Eyes wide with shock, tears came to her eyes that quickly turned into echoing sobs. The brunette scolded Michael and told him to leave, where she led the girl to the couch and began to console her.

"It's going to be okay, Eleanor." Janet soothed, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulder, "As I told you, I'll be right there with you. So, just let yourself go until you are ready to get started."

Sniffling, the blonde nodded and wrapped her friend into a much-needed hug.

There was a soft, pleasant bing noise and Janet handed a box of tissues which she had just summoned to her friend. The blonde mumbled her thanks and started to cry into them.

"How am I supposed to do this?" She asked, "How am I supposed to make this whole thing work when all I'm thinking about is the man I'm in love with?"

"You _can_ do it." The brunette reassured, "We're in this together, remember?"

The blonde nodded and looked down at her crinkled outfit, "I'll be right back. I need to change."

Janet nodded and waited patiently for Eleanor, who eventually emerged from her bedroom wearing a pink sweater and tight-fitting jeans. Her lips were freshly glossed, and she offered a forced smile to the not-lady across from her.

"Alright, let's go."

Janet smiled in success and walked the girl out the door, "You can do this, Eleanor." She prompted, "I know it."

She took a deep breath in as her friend led her into the office, helping her translate the files that had just came in. Turns out, the next two people would be arriving the same day.

"Can you go tell Tahani that the final residents will be arriving soon?"

Then the not-girl nodded and disappeared into of thin air.


	2. Part Two

Part Two

It was the night of the welcome party and if Eleanor could've had the option to not come, she wouldn't. But no, she was the motherforking architect. She needed to make a short speech (roughly around three sentences) before Tahani took over.

Nervous, she emerged from her bedroom wearing a navy-blue bubble dress with white heels. She had straightened her hair and even slathered on some cherry red lipstick.

The blonde checked herself in the mirror once more before heading out.

She bit her lip as she stood in front of her best friend's huge mansion. Eyes flickering to the side, she smiled and walked over to Tahani, who greeted her with a kiss on each cheek.

"Hey, babe." The blonde greeted, "Things goin' steady here so far?"

"Smooth as glass." The brunette said, completely confident. Grabbing her friend's hand, the aristocrat led the young woman inside into an empty wing.

"How are you, though, darling?" Tahani asked, leading the girl down to a sofa and awaiting a response.

"How do I feel about the man I love not remembering me? Surprisingly, not that great." She admitted, "You should have been there when I called him in… I couldn't even look him in the eye."

The cappuccino-skinned girl nodded, "Quite understandable, and yet we must soldier on. You must remember, though, that you are not alone in this. All of us are with you, darling. So, whenever you need a break from all this discord, just come to one of us and we shall comfort you for as long as you need."

The blonde smiled and wrapped her best friend in a tight hug, "Thanks Tahani, you're the best."

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Resting her hand atop her friend's, the young woman offered a sympathetic smile, "Shall we return to the event? Surely everyone is present by now."

"Yeah, I guess. Better late than never to get this speech outta the way." The shorter girl laughed, wiping a tear away as she was led into the main ballroom by Tahani.

The blonde tensed up when she locked eyes with her former boyfriend, who was standing at the back sipping champagne. He raised his glass to her and then took a swig, making her giggle.

The brunette raised her empty flute of champagne and tapped the side of it, earning everyone's attention.

"Everyone, everyone, can we have your attention? Eleanor would like to make a speech."

She let out a deep sigh, looking in any direction but Chidi's. There was no way she was ready to face him yet.

"Okay, so it's fun and stuff for you guys to come over here. This is my first neighborhood I've ever made, and I just hope you guys have a good time. Tahani, it's back to you babe." She then threw an invisible microphone to her best friend, who caught it and smiled at the blonde, launching into a speech of her own.

Chidi couldn't help but look Eleanor's way. She was standing in the corner, head ducked, halfway listening to the brunette's babbling.

The shorter girl was very attractive, he had to admit for a non-human, at least. In fact, what was she exactly? He'd ask her later. The Professor turned his head away and focused his attention back onto the aristocrat, but he could already feel eyes on him.

The speech ended two minutes later and that's when things really began to get strange. The blonde was hooking arms with Tahani, who seemed to be soothing the young woman. He heard a sniffle, and swore he saw a tear or two trickle down Eleanor's face.

He didn't see her for the rest of the night.

Come to think of it she did that a lot. The blonde would be in his line of sight, but the minute he turned his head away the girl was gone again.

 _How mysterious._

The Professor searched for Eleanor the next morning but couldn't find her. Two weeks passed before he finally spotted her. She was chatting with Tahani as they walked down the street, equal smiles on their faces.

"Eleanor!" He shouted, running up to the two girls.

"See ya later, babe." The blonde said, nudging her friend lightly with her elbow. The architect turned around and walked away. Desperate, he reached out and grabbed the girl's elbow and she froze on the spot.

"I need to talk to you."

She cleared her throat and turned around, avoiding his eyes. A smile was on her face, but he knew it was fake. She wasn't happy.

Had he done something to upset her?

"Y-Yeah, um… what's up?"

"Have you been avoiding me?"

"N-No! Why? Have you been looking for me?" Her voice sounded hopeful and timid at the same time.

"Well, yes. I'm sorry man, I was just talking with Tahani over here about some important stuff. She's kind of my… erm… my-?"

"I'm Eleanor's best friend." The cappuccino-skinned girl answered honestly, surprising both the architect and Chidi.

"What the fork, babe?" The blonde whispered, shooting a glare the taller girl's way. Plastering on another smile, she turned her attention back to Chidi, "What's up, man? How can I help you?"

"Well, I don't mean to be a nudge, but it's just my house. It's kind of… empty. Like something's missing…"

Eleanor's breath caught. She exchanged a look with her best friend, who was at a loss for words as much as the blonde was.

The shorter girl cleared her throat, "Well, that's more of a request you could take up with Janet. Janet!"

The not-girl appeared out of nowhere and smiled at the three residents, hands behind her back, "Hi there! How can I help you?"

"Think you could help ol' Nerd Boy here with his place? He said it felt…" She cleared her throat again, "H-He said...thinks that there is something missing."

The not-woman's eyes widened as she heard those words. Nodding, she turned to face Chidi, "Very well. Shall we head back to your apartment so we can sort out the problem?"

"I guess." He paused, "Eleanor, maybe you could help me as well? I could really use your opinion."

Janet and Tahani stared at the shocked blonde. Dumbstruck, the girl shook her head, "Sorry, no. I have a bunch of shirt to do."

"A bunch of… what?"

"A bunch of shirt. This place censors cursing, which can be a pain in the ash sometimes for me."

He nodded in understanding and offered his hand for a shake. Looking down at his hand, Eleanor gently grabbed the tip of his finger and shook it, and for the first time ever, looked straight into his eyes. She raised her head and leaned in a bit, then turned her head away and turned around.

"Later, nerd."

She took her hand away, blushing when she realized that they were still holding on to one another.

"Nice seeing you." He returned, following an impatient Janet back to his own house.

"Well, that was almost a disaster."

"Indeed." Tahani agreed, slinging an arm around the shorter girl, "But you do know he is going to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, try _never._ The only reason Chidi wiped his memory was so he wouldn't blab anything to Simone. We have to make sure that he never finds out the trath and… and that he never gets feelings for me." Tears blurred her vision and as she began to cry, Tahani pulled her closer. The blonde rested her head on the taller girl's side, not complaining as she was walked back to the large mansion across from her adorable cottage.

They sat down on a very comfortable couch, Eleanor falling down into her best friend's lap. The brunette smiled down at the shorter girl, "Everything is going to be fine, darling." She soothed, "We're work this out. All of us are right by your side."

"Not everyone…" Eleanor mumbled, letting out a yawn before falling asleep. The poor girl was suffering, and Tahani knew she had to fix all this.

Because there was no way she would let Eleanor be miserable for the rest of her unlife.


	3. Part Three

Part Three

Now, on any normal day, Eleanor would be hanging out with her boyfriend doing all that semi- cliché couples' bullshirt like cuddling by the lake or falling asleep in his arms under the moonlight or whatever the fork people did nowadays. But, now, unfortunately, she couldn't do that because Chidi didn't remember who the fork she was.

"Eleanor?"

Breaking out of her trance, she looked up, eyes wide with shock when she saw none other than (surprise)! Her ex-boyfriend sliding in next to her.

"Yeah, hey man." She said nervously, lifting herself up slightly and sitting atop the philosophy book she had just been reading. Even if he didn't remember their lessons, she still didn't want anyone knowing that she read those books for fun.

"What's that?" He asked pointing to the two books on the other side of her. Dang, she had forgotten about those two.

"Nothing!"

She quickly grabbed both books and hid them behind her back, "I-It's nothing…"

The Professor crossed his arms and stared at the young woman, until she finally sighed and handed them to him.

"Kant? Saint Thomas Aquinas?" He said in shock.

"Yeah, I like to call him Tommy Quine-Quine." She joked, making him laugh. She shifted her body to face him, then finally handed him the third book.

"Jonathan Dancy?" He said, "Wow, a lot of different books here. Wow, I have to say that you didn't seem to be the type of person who would be into this kind of readings."

"Yeah, I get that." The blonde said, "I wasn't all that interested in this complicated bull-shirt for a while, but then I met somebody." She said, blue eyes sparkling in the reflection of the sun.

"Somebody? What do you mean by that?"

"Just somebody that help me sort all this stuff out. I'm an eternal being and even this stuff made no sense to me, y'know?"

He nodded, "Makes perfect sense. So, tell me, since we both enjoy philosophy…"

"Oh, no dude. You're getting the wrong idea. I hate this stuff, it is such a buzzkill." It was a lie, though. She did enjoy these books, it was just a guilty pleasure of hers. Chidi tilted his head to the side, not buying it.

"...Since we both enjoy philosophy, I was wondering if there was anything else we had in common? Like, do you enjoy teaching?"

"Nope."

"Spending time with your friends?"

"I don't have any friends." She admitted.

"What about Tahani? She said she was your friend."

"Oh, she's totally not my friend. She's just a sexy, sweet woman who does nice things for me sometimes."

"So… a friend?"

"No! You're not getting it. My thing is different, so shut up." The shorter girl yanked the books out of Chidi's hands and walked inside, shutting her door behind her. She threw the books on to her unmade bed and walked back outside.

"I'm the forking architect. I'm not supposed to have friends."

"Well, that can't be true. I see you talking to all the residents all the time, even Janet. She seems to be very nice too."

"Sure, she's nice, that's like, how she is, though. She's basically a all-knowing robot who barfs rainbows and knowledge on everyone."

"Very vivid image, but alright." He nodded, "How about Jianyu?"

"Dude doesn't talk." She lied, "How could he be my friend?"

He nodded, "Well, it sounds to me like you don't want to get close to anybody. Why is that?"

"You don't know me, dude." She scolded, "Don't pretend that you do."

"... But I'd like too." He admitted, "Just please let me be your friend."

"You sure about that, bud? Because, as I recall, all you ever did on Earth was study and teach philosophy. You had a couple guys that you got along with, but you never really hung out much. You're not really an expert at spending time with a person, and I'm not the best at pretending I care about Spider-Men movies. Like, seriously, there are way too many of them. What is the forking deal with that?"

He laughed, "You do have a point, about friends." He nodded, "Though I'd still like to try to be yours."

"Yeah, that's not the best idea, sorry. Why don't you talk to Tahani? She really likes talking, and I'm sure you'll find something to talk about."

"Bu-But I don't…"

"See ya around, bud." She said, saluting him before walking away.

Chidi was very, very confused.

Why did the architect not want to be friends with him? Had he done something to upset her, he wondered?

Eleanor was a very strange young woman.

Wait, was she a woman? He wasn't completely sure…

Either way, he felt some kind of strange pulling towards her and an odd sense of familiarity.

Had they met before?

Well, he had just died a day ago, so… probably not.

She was an odd girl, Eleanor.

And Chidi was determined to figure her out.

The next morning, he went out on a hunt to find the blonde. Many of the other residents tried to wrap him into some of their conversations, which he politely denied on his search for Eleanor.

But then he smiled when he saw her in the distance, which slipped slowly when he saw her shaking. Tahani was there also, arms wrapped around the girl, stroking her hair as the shorter woman cried into the side of Tahani's frock, who was trying to contain herself from the thought of Eleanor's cheap makeup on her precious designer clothes.

Chidi's heart broke as he watched the scene. Who had hurt Eleanor so much to where she was acting this way?

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way over to the two girls. He took a seat down next to Eleanor and grabbed the blonde's hand to comfort her. Instead, the girl jumped in shock and fell off her seat, groaning in pain when she hit her head.

"What the here, man?" She shouted angrily, accepting the Brit's hand as she helped her up, "Are you alright, darling?"

"I'm fine." She said, wincing at the pain in the back of her neck.

"I- I apologize, I saw you crying, I was only trying to help."

"Yeah? Well, ya didn't." She winced as she turned her head, "Motherforker."

The blonde walked ahead, cursing to herself the entire time. Tahani gave Chidi a look of sympathy before heading after Eleanor.

Why did everything he did have to hurt somebody else? On Earth, his indecisions had always troubled the people around him. He had made a simple decision for once and he had _still_ hurt somebody.

What did that say about him?

 **A/N:** Hi guys! I've been sick the past week, and I was having a difficult time trying to write another chapter when I was feeling that shirty. While I am still a little bit sick, my brain has gotten its shirt together and given me ideas and such. Thank God! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'd love to hear your views on it. Thank you for your patience!

Love,

Sellybelly411


	4. Part Four

Part Four

Chidi sank down on a bench in front of one of the many frozen yogurt shops in the neighborhood. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier and couldn't stop worrying about Eleanor.

He hadn't meant to frighten her, just make her feel better.

Which reminded him, why was she crying in the first place? He wanted to ask, or would that be too inappropriate? She was his superior, so did that mean he had to keep a professional relationship with the architect or treat her like one of his friends? This whole situation was eating the Professor alive.

"Chidi?"

He looked up, smiling as he saw Tahani, a happy distraction from his own thoughts.

"May I sit with you? I have something I would really like to discuss."

"Oh! Yes, of course!" He scooted over, placing his hands on his lap as he watched the taller girl take a seat beside her, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright after yesterday's ideal. Eleanor didn't mean anything she said to you, she's just…." The girl sighed, "How shall I put it? You see, she's just very sensitive nowadays."

"Oh, well I didn't mean to make her upset…."

"Oh, gracious no! You have done nothing at all, darling. She hates when other people see her cry, Chidi. She's lost someone who she truly loved, and that hurt her more than anything." The cappuccino-skinned girl smiled and took hold of his hand, "He was the only one she truly let herself be vulnerable around. It broke her in two."

The Professor nodded in understanding and let her hand go, 'That must be awful, Tahani. I can't imagine how hard that must be for her."

"It took her ages to open up to me, Chidi. She's my truest friend and I hate seeing her hurt like this, I truly do. So, please do not take offense by her actions."

"You really are a great friend of hers." He confessed, "I wish I had someone who cares about me the way you two care about each other."

The aristocrat bit her lower lip, wishing she could tell him the truth. How he did have someone that cared about him, but sadly, she could not. Instead, the woman just waved goodbye and headed away.

Chidi stared at the spot where his new friend had just left, smiling to himself. A image of Eleanor flashed inside his mind, and she was laughing obnoxiously. He was confused, however because he had never noticed that side of her before. She seemed very closed off here and yet… what was that? It couldn't be a memory, as he had never met the girl before.

But then he thought about that laugh of hers and couldn't help but smile wider. He got up off the bench and went home, having a sudden desire to go visit the blonde. He couldn't go empty handed though now, could he? So, he made her breakfast. Just a single box of cereal and a shrimp cocktail that he asked Janet for. The not-girl had seemed curious at the request (as she knew that Chidi wasn't a big fan of shellfish) and tried to suppress her surprise. Waving a quick goodbye, Janet popped away and re-appeared in "Eleanor's" office. The young woman had her feet propped up on her desk and was dressed fairly lazily.

"Hey, babe." She greeted, "What's wrong?" The girl rose out of her seat and took a stand in front of the not a robot, not a girl.

Without answering, Janet merely lifted her hand and Eleanor was shocked to see that she was now wearing a lovely pink spaghetti-strap dress with white water lilies all over the skirt. The top was lacier, and although she adored the dress, she was very confused. Her hair was straightened and held back in a magenta headband, and she was wearing black ballet flats, "What's going on?"

There was a sudden knock at the door and instantly Eleanor understood, _"Janet."_ She scolded, forcing the brunette to meet her eyes.

There was another knock, "Eleanor? Are you there?"

"You bench! Did you seriously just dress me up because you knew he was coming? Gah, I am going to kill you later! You know what? Let me get a paper clip." She pounced for Michael's special paper clip collection, only to have Janet shout that the door was open.

Chidi then entered the room holding a picnic basket and blushed as he saw her, "Good morning Eleanor, you lo—look… beautiful today."

The girl just shuffled her feet and observed him as he set down the basket on her desk, "I made you some breakfast."

The blonde blushed and took the basket, her hand landing right on top of his. They both took their hands away quickly, muttering an apology to one another.

"Um… Eleanor? I am sorry if this is too forward, but I would really like it if you could show me around the neighborhood more."

"Janet could show you." She answered, grabbing her cereal out of the basket and eating it by the handful.

He sighed in defeat, "Very well, I understand you must be busy. I suppose I'll just head back to my apartment then…"

"Wait." The blonde said, placing the box down and smoothing down her dress, "I have something for you.

"F- For me?" He asked, stepping forward. The blonde just nodded and handed him a dusty old book, "Here."

Chidi took it and gasped when he saw what it was, "Is this… is this the last journal of Immanuel Kant?"

"Yep."

"And you're giving it to me?"

"Mm-hm."

"Why?"

"Don't ask me why, ya doof. Or would you rather me take it back and give it to some other Philosophy nerd?"

He just chuckled and wrapped the woman in a hug, catching her off gaurd. She hesitated before wrapping her hands around his back in return. When he pulled away, she found herself feeling cold.

"So, what are you all dressed up for? Is it a special occasion?"

"Mm? This, uh- no... I'm just… I'm trying to look more professional. I am the Architect, after all. I need to start upping my game." She smiled, "Now, no offense, but I kinda need to talk to Janet right now. Say, do you have a paperclip?"

Janet gasped in shock, about to pop out of sight when Eleanor got hold of her not-inner elbow.

"Not on me at the moment. I'll see you around, then?" He waved goodbye and closed the door gently behind himself. Meanwhile, Janet began to panic when the blonde approached her with a paperclip. The brunette fought off the girl with all her might but it turned out she was quite strong for someone so short.

The door opened once more and Tahani stood, shocked as she watched the fued between the two. Quickly, she ran towards Eleanor and held her back from the not-girl, who popped out of sight instantly.

"Darling, darling!" Tahani shouted, holding her eccentric friend in a tight hug until she finally calmed down and returned the hug. Slowly, she walked the girl into the waiting room and sat her down on the sofa where the two sat in silence.

"Why were you so furious?" She finally asked.

"Be quiet."

The elegant female just chuckled and repeated the question once more before finally getting an answer out of her.

"Oh, so that is why I saw Chidi on my way into your office. You do look lovely, by the way."

"Thanks, babe."

"Now, shall we head back? I would really enjoy getting the others together and going out for dinner. Or, shall we cook it at my place?"

"I could cook it."

The cappuccino-skinned girl leaned her head back and chuckled, though stopped instantly when she realized her friend was serious, "Oh. I—" She cleared her throat, "I don't think that is the best idea, darling."

"What? I taught myself how to cook."

"Which is exactly why I am asking you not to."

Eleanor just rolled her eyes and hugged the girl tighter, "You're the literal best."

"If I had a nickel every time I've heard someone say that."

"You'd only have one nickel." The blonde finished, earning a withering stare from Tahani that didn't seem to faze her.

"Well, I'mma go head home. See ya later, babe."

"Eleanor?" The brunette said, standing up.

"What?"

"You're the truest friend I have ever had."

"... Yeah, you're alright yourself." The blonde smiled at her friend before walking out and back into the fake Good Place.


	5. Part Five

Part Five

Tahani ended up inviting the entire neighborhood to the cookout, and after endless prodding, the brunette finally allowed Eleanor to cook dinner. The aristocrat was hoping for something on the sophisticated side but was let down at the sight of freshly made hot dogs.

"Darling, why would you cook something like _that?"_

"It's a cookout, babe. We're supposed to be making food like this. You don't have to worry, though, alright? I've been making these for years, it's an Eleanor Shellstrop delicacy."

"Well, they don't look burnt…"

Tahani set out a picnic blanket on her front lawn and waited patiently along with the other guests for the food to be finished.

"Oh, I'm actually veg—"

"No sweat, I have vegan hot dogs over on this side, along with vegan buns." Eleanor said to one of the worried residents, "I'm not used to making those, so hopefully they're good."

At the sound of her worried tone, the brunette ran to her best friend's side, "Well, if you're so worried it's not too late to call the chef…"

"I told you, I got this. Now sit down like a good little princess and wait your turn." She ordered, "You worry too much."

"Oh, I think I worry at the right amount in this situation, darling."

"Seriously, chill. I told you, I've been doing this for years. I'm practically a genius when it comes to grillin'."

"Yeah, why don't you have a little faith in her, Tahani?" A male voice piped up, "These look amazing Eleanor. I'm sure they'll taste just as good as they smell."

"Oh… Chidi." The blonde said, "Um, you surprised me there, bud."

"I did? Oh, my goodness. I am so sorry, Eleanor that was not my intention at all."

"It's fine." She assured, even though it was anything _but_ fine. The one man she truly let herself be vulnerable in front of, the one man who she trusted more than anyone, the one man who she truly loved _didn't remember her._

Eleanor let out a sad sigh and turned back to the grill, slowly setting the dogs on separate plates (vegans on one, meat on another). Flashing a smile to the crowd, she gestured for everyone to help themselves while she waited for everyone else to grab theirs.

One thing Eleanor had learned from Tahani's parties was that the hostess always received their food _last._ It was common courtesy, apparently to do that at at parties.

"I hope I made enough." She mumbled to herself, watching as everyone grabbed their paper plates (to Tahani's disgust). She wasn't used to finger foods and held her own nervously while trying to make sure not to get any of the condiments on her frock.

Everyone took a bite, and the blonde waited nervously for feedback. A young dark-skinned girl was the first to speak up, "These are amazing, Eleanor!"

Jason, meanwhile, was staring down at the meal trying to fight that stupid smile of his and gave the blonde his nod of approval.

"Yeah, you're an amazing cook, why haven't I ever seen you doing this before?" Chidi asked, scooting closer to the blonde and accidentally taking hold of her hand in the process. She smiled up at him, "Um… thanks. I mean, I have been alive for a while now and I do have such a fascination with humans I guess I must've picked up a thing or two."

"Makes perfect sense to me." He admitted, "By the way, I wanted to thank you for making mine for me. I mean, how did you know I liked all of these things?"

"I know everything about you, alright? I'm an all-knowing being, so stop acting so surprised, dummy."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You bet I am, so shut up and eat your food before I take it. It's not like I'll be making these every day, y'know." She humphed.

He just laughed again and ate up the rest of his food. Eleanor turned to the side and frowned at Tahani, who was tilting her hot dog and looking at it curiously.

"Something wrong, babe?"

"Not exactly, I am just perplexed at why this tastes so exquisite." She commented, "This type of cuisine was commonly looked down upon in my family, so I have never sampled these before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." The blonde said, a smile on her face as she pulled herself up and dusted herself off, "You guys finish up, I'm heading back."

"You're not going to stay?" Chidi asked, sounding disappointed.

"I wish I could, bud, but I just have to do some paperwork and have Janet translate some information for me."

"Understandable." He nodded, reaching his hand out for her and helping her up. She smiled graciously at him and dusted off her knees, turning off the grill and waving goodbye to everyone before returning to her home.

"Is she really your best friend?" Chidi asked the aristocrat, who nodded in response. She wiped the side of her mouth and swallowed, "Yes, it was quite the surprise to me as well. You see though, Eleanor is quite an extraordinary person once you get to know her. I must admit, when we first met, we didn't get along all that well."

"And what made your attitude change towards her?"

"Well, darling you see that I realized that she was the one person who I could truly rely on. She alwa—well, most of the time, kept her promises and was always there when I needed it. I truly believe that she made me grow as a person."

"The way you said that makes you sound like you weren't a good person on Earth."

"W- Well of course I was a good person." She stuttered, "My point was that is there really any limits to how much you can get better? We all do bad things in our lives, though everyone in the Good Place did good things. That doesn't necessarily mean that we never did anything that _cost_ us positive life points."

"You make a good point." He admitted, smiling at the tall girl, "I can really see why she likes you."

"And what do you think of her?"

"What do I think of Eleanor?" The professor paused and rested his chin in his hand, "I think she's a kind, intelligent being that I would certainly like to get to know better."

"Really?"

"Yes. I- I mean, she already knows me so well, it only seems fair that I get to know about her as well."

"I suppose so."

"Do you think she would be interested in doing that?"

"Of _course,_ she would." Tahani assured, "Just not today, darling. The poor dear really is busy."

And indeed, she was.

Eleanor was sitting over a large stack of paperwork as Michael sat on the chair across from her with his legs crossed. Janet was hovering over the blonde, pointing things out and explaining things to the short girl to help anyway she could. In truth, she was just trying to make up for her mistake from yesterday.

"How long is this going to take?" The blonde complained, slamming her head onto the wooden desk in frustration.

"According to my calculations, it should take you about an hour and thirty minutes until completion. However, if complaints pursue than it should take at least six hours until the task is done." Janet said, smiling down at the frustrated girl.

Eleanor huffed in irritancy, "Michael, shouldn't _you_ be the one doing this?"

"I mean, I would but you're the one that's been running things around here. Y- You're the Big Cheese, the Head Honcho of this neighborhood. That's what humans refer to this as, yes?"

"You're such a pain."

"Well, I'm sorry but it was your decision to take over the new Good Place."

"Bullshirt! You pressed this all on me, ya bonehead."

"Correct. Your anxiety and nervousness of the current test made you breakdown and push your faith into Eleanor, causing Chidi to-" She cleared her throat, "Nevermind." The brunette said, rubbing the blonde's back in support.

"I can do this, right?" The blonde asked, looking up at the not-lady.

"According to my calculations, there is a-" She cleared her throat once more, "Yes, Eleanor. I believe in you."

"Embrace the pandemonium, right?"

Janet nodded, and pulled up a chair next to the blonde, leaning over and assisting her as she continued to work. Michael left a couple minutes later and left the two alone to continue the paperwork in peace.

 _Screw calculations._ Janet thought, _I know we can pull this off. I believe in you, Eleanor. You're smarter than you think you are._

"Janet, what's wrong?" The blonde asked, her pen coming to a stop as she looked up at the brunette with concern.

"Nothing." She said, a smile on her face, "Nothing at all."

And it was the absolute truth.

 **A/N:** Guess who's back? I am so excited to return to this story after a long hiatus. As you could tell, this chapter was more of a filler (though I still think it fits in well with the actual story). Even so, I hope you enjoyed it and please look out for the next episode of _Accidentally Roommates,_ which will hopefully be written and posted by tomorrow.

Thank you for reading!

Love,

Sellybelly411


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